November 29, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Media Contact: Kendra Ericson
Tool Factory Inc.
Telephone: (802) 375-6549 Ext. 201
FAX: (802) 375-6860
Email Address: kendra@toolfactory.com
Website: http://www.toolfactory.com

Tool Factory Inc. Introduces Bucket and Spade Software to Teach Students Shapes, Patterns, Positions and Directions

Animated beach toys Bucket and Spade visit the ocean with your students, ages 4 to 7, and provide eight focused activities involving shape identification, patterns, sequencing and following directions. Students first select one of four colorful beach huts that correspond to their age and abilities. In each hut the eight core activities are presented at varying levels. As the levels increase, vocabulary becomes more advanced, patterns are more complex, and the involved shapes include both 2D and 3D options. Thirty shapes are covered by the program, and in all cases, patient instructions and verbal cues are given for the child, enabling a comfortable learning environment.

Activities Combine Education with Entertainment

Each activity can be tailored to the level of the child, making Bucket and Spade perfect for inclusion classrooms. The “Shape Show” is an entertaining way to learn all the shapes, and includes both written and verbal reinforcement. In “Hide and Seek,” children are asked by friendly Bucket to help his pal Spade earn an ice cream cone by correctly identifying his hiding place. In the “Rock Pool,” students are asked to follow directions in order to move a crab past obstacles on a grid. Bucket and Spade includes entertaining activities such as “What’s in the Bucket”, “Lost in the Hut”, “Beach Patterns” and “Symmetry Shells.”

Features for Educators

Educators will appreciate the password-protected “Teachers Area” that makes the program entirely configurable to meet differentiated student needs. Activities can be removed from each level requiring that students focus in certain areas, or entire levels can be temporarily eliminated for groups with similar skill levels. Students can be tracked by name to note progress, and the valuable “Shape Demonstrator” allows teachers to work with groups or entire classrooms to highlight specific shapes and their unique features.

Platform and Installation

Bucket and Spade installs quickly on all Microsoft Windows PCs and Apple Macintosh computers using OS 8.6 or higher. Individual computer and network versions are available.

To Purchase

Bucket and Spade is available by calling Tool Factory at (800) 220-8386, visiting http://www.toolfactory.com, or writing sales@toolfactory.com. Single licenses are $59.95, and the networked version is available for $449.95.

About Tool Factory

Tool Factory is a Vermont publisher and developer of leading-edge educational software, meeting the needs of educators and students across a wide range of skill levels and disciplines. As a woman-owned, Vermont-based small business, Tool Factory’s goal is to make a difference in American education by providing superior educational software. The Tool Factory staff  combs global markets for the best educational computer applications available and tailors products to meet the needs of American educators and students. The staff has also pioneered its own unique applications designed to fill niches not addressed in the current educational marketplace. Teachers, students, and parents join the Tool Factory staff in testing products to ensure that they are easy to navigate, fun to use and beneficial to the learning process. (http://www.toolfactory.com)

For press inquiries, please call Kendra Ericson at (802) 375-6549 or email kendra@toolfactory.com.